The last few days had been anything but perfect, maybe perfect was too strong of an adjective, the last few days had been more than exhausting.

January closed her eyes for a moment, reflecting back on their conversation. It hadn’t gone well, with Jack storming out of their high-rise apartment.

This had been more than two days ago and she still had not heard from him. She knew he would be mad, but he was more than mad, he had been furious.

She remembered when they had first visited the city of San Francisco, now their home. She and Jack had just gotten married. He had applied to the city as an Engineer, just on a whim, not really expecting to get the job, but he had.

She couldn’t have asked for a better life, now that Jack was clean. But now it seemed their perfect, picturesque life had shattered into a million different pieces.

Tears slowly spilled down her face, as she quietly opened her eyes. It was a dreary, over-cast day, but when wasn’t it over-cast in the city.

Looking across the bay, she watched as the tour boat took the nostalgic guests across the ocean and over to the Rock…Alcatrass, making her ponder…had she made the right decision telling Jack. Only time would tell.

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The cold, long corridors, leading into the intensive care unit smelled of death, deeply depressing Cole, as he silently fought the demons within himself. He stared, hopelessly down at her lifeless body. She lay there too peacefully, while tightly secured underneath the sterile, white hospital sheets.

He hadn’t slept since the ambulance had arrived days before, frantically working to keep her fragile body alive. Cole had been informed that she had almost died, leaving him alone to raise their daughter, but miraculously, she had come through. She was stabilized for now, but still in critical condition.

Cole got down on his hands and knees, saying a quick prayer, as the tears streamed down his face.

“Over it! How can you say such a thing. What happened is just terribly horrible. I don’t know what I would do, if that happened to me.”

“January, you are a strong girl. You would get over it and move on.”

“I don’t know.”

“Yes, you would and just like me. I know I sound heartless, but there are only two ways to go in a situation like this, you can either not accept it and go insane or you can accept it and move on. I am not the insane one, he was. I can’t beat up on myself for his poor choices and his insanity.”

“Gosh Jack…I don’t know if I could be as brave as you. That’s a lot of stress for a kid, you know.”

“January, we are not kids. We may be only 17 years old, but we are both much older than our years and very wise.” He reached down, pulling her face up to his, softly kissing her sultry lips.

“I love you, do you know that…do you Jack?” At that moment, she realized actually how much she really loved this man.

“I know that, silly girl. I love you too. You are my hero!”

She smiled sadly, knowing she would always love him and would do anything for him… she knew she would even die for him, but she hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

It was late. The sun had disappeared hours ago, casting a light glow from the moonlight, across the alley.

She wasn’t scared, but she was feeling the first signs of doubting herself. She knew better than being out in the night late and alone. Her mother had taught her the dangers of the city over and over again…so why was she not listening, especially now.

Because she had a gentle soul… a caring soul… she trusted people. She hated when her mother looked down on people, always judging them. Why was she always judging? After all, people were good… weren’t they?

Perhaps this was true or maybe it’s just from the mind of a thirteen year old girl.

Lost in her own thoughts, she didn’t hear the footsteps sneaking up behind her. Seconds before, she had decided to turn around and go home… consumed with her mother’s voice in her head.

“Hello.”

But it was too late. He stood there, in front of her, staring down at her, as if she were his prey.

All the blood drained from her face, as her breath caught in her throat.

I know I always say that this place and that place are my favorite places to visit…but San Francisco is truly one of my favorite spots in the world. If you ever visit California or already live in our Golden State, you must visit San Francisco.

Haight and Ashbury are a blast from the past. Walking down the streets is as if you are still living during the 1960’s. Jim Morrison, from the Doors and Jimi Hendrix appear to still be living, as you look up and into their faces on the side of buildings.

The Wharf and Pier 39 have all the shopping you could ever imagine, while you’re waiting for your boat trip across the bay to the legendary Alcatraz island. Alcatraz is a must see.

Union Square is for the more savvy shopping goer. It’s beautifully lined streets, looking up to the high rises; such as, Juicy Contour, Nordstrom and Ghirardelli Chocolates.

And we can’t forget the Financial District. This is where success is created.

Make sure you pack your shorts, sweaters, and jackets…you never know what the weather will be like in San Francisco…it’s as unpredictable as your decisions on where you should go to next in the great city of San Francisco.

Lisa ran into the bathroom, with black streaks running down her once made up, pretty face. She stared at herself in the mirror with disgust.

How could she have been so stupid? Why had she believed his lies, once again? Will she ever learn?

“I hate you!” She screamed, hitting her fists hard against the bathroom mirror. The mirror with the pretty, little flowers…the flowers she had painted on it earlier. But now she hated them, hated how they stared back at her, mocking her.

Moonstone Beach, in Humboldt County, is one of those places. You may wake up in a bad mood, but once your feet touch the cool, soft sand, squishing in between your toes, you are instantly transformed from blah to majestic. As if, something this beautiful can be real, but it is and trust me pictures don’t do it justice.

The same goes for us that live in the concrete city. We may wake up in a beautiful mood, and once we hit the road of constant and steady traffic, we are instantly put in a bad mood. Not to add to it, but the grey skies above don’t help either.

The sad part about human behavior is that we don’t appreciate all the beauty around us, we don’t live in the present, but instead we are either looking to the past or jumping to the future, never in the present. And then one day we look back and our lives are over and we think, dang I wish I had enjoyed that day more.

I tell my kids this each and every day, stay in the present and enjoy this very moment. There can’t be anything more precious or beautiful than right now.

We can hold our past in our memories and plan for our future, but living in the present is the most important time of our lives. Enjoy visiting the beautiful beaches of California and all the beachs in our world, for that matter.